Tipping customs in Indonesia, Bali, Wakatobi?

[WetInPortland]

There are a couple of threads on this subject that are a couple years old or older, but I'd like to get some more recent information.

I'm planning a trip to Wakatobi next year, and also plan to do some additional diving in and around Bali after Wakatobi. I'm not certain yet if the follow-on diving will be land-based or LOB.

Talking to someone who's been to Wakatobi recently, the resort absolutely forbids tipping individuals - they have a tip pool for the dive support staff (boat captains, DMs, tank fill staff) and one for hospitality staff. They direct people to tip to the pools instead of individuals. The rationale that was given is that they want employees giving good service to everyone, not giving better service to people who tip at the expense of those who don't.

I'm sure folks will have strong opinions about whether this is good or bad, but that's not the point of this post. I'd like to know if this is common, and also more generally, what are the local tipping customs for dive operators in the area?

Again, I'm sure folks will have strong opinions, but I would like to be respectful of local customs, and not take an attitude of, "This is how we do it in 'Merica, so that's what I'm gonna do in [fill in the blank of some far away location]."

You will almost certainly have a different opinion than mine. This is a topic where there are lots of strong opinions, so I would appreciate your help to try to keep this thread from going off the rails too quickly!!

 

[Luko]

Well Wakatobi has been gringo'ized enough to expect tipping "like in 'Merica", 10% of the bill is expected (which is IMO crazy !!!)
One of my french friends (although upmarket customer, Waow or D/Nusantara repeater) found the final billing/tipping process absolutely dreadful and totally uncorrect to guests parked into a room waiting for their turn, so he was tempted to leave... nothing.

Bali is another story, pls don't tip "like in 'Merica", generally you get a (full or semi) private guide for landbased diving. After 10 years of diving Bali, my usual fare is to tip him directly on a 100kIDR/day (about 8USD) and round up the final tip with a few more 100kIDR notes if that was beyond expectations.
Depending on the stay, I put some 100kIDR notes in the divecenter tipbox.

 

[peeweediver]

We were at Wakatobi in 2016 and just followed their recommendations. Because we spent half the time on their live-a-board, we tipped each separately. The tipping and final payment process is uncomfortable as you wait your turn, but when kids were young we went to the same dude ranch many times in Colorado and the process was exactly the same. Maybe we're just used to it. So, we respect the wishes of the place we are at and tip as they want us to even if we might choose to do it differently if no instructions.

Rob

 

[Tribal]

This tipping thing is so annoying. Why don’t they include it in the bill? Its like you are expected to tip this amount, its rude to not do it but making the bill higher so we don’t have to worry about it is not an option...

 

[billt4sf]

We were at Wakatobi in 2016 and just followed their recommendations. Because we spent half the time on their live-a-board, we tipped each separately. The tipping and final payment process is uncomfortable as you wait your turn, but when kids were young we went to the same dude ranch many times in Colorado and the process was exactly the same. Maybe we're just used to it. So, we respect the wishes of the place we are at and tip as they want us to even if we might choose to do it differently if no instructions.

Rob

Ugh you're just allowing yourself to be intimidated into paying them more. For what? Because they are not paying their staff enough?

Don't bring the American tipping customs to Bali, please. The rest of the world is not like America in this regard.

- Bill

 

[charlier]

Bill, you are correct that most resorts or LoBs do not pay their guides a proper salary. But the guides really depend on tips and many guides send the tip money home to their families. Based on many conversations with local guides, they rely on tips from divers that come from the USA and keep their expectations low from customers from other countries.

 

[billt4sf]

Bill, you are correct that most resorts or LoBs do not pay their guides a proper salary. But the guides really depend on tips and many guides send the tip money home to their families. Based on many conversations with local guides, they rely on tips from divers that come from the USA and keep their expectations low from customers from other countries.

Of course I tip. but not 10% that's nuts. I do along the lines that Luko mentioned.

- Bill

 

[peeweediver]

Ugh you're just allowing yourself to be intimidated into paying them more. For what? Because they are not paying their staff enough?

Don't bring the American tipping customs to Bali, please. The rest of the world is not like America in this regard.

Thanks for the tipping lecture. Always a great subject to be lectured on. The Wakatobi tip covers house and restaurant staff and then a separate pool for the diving staff. I din't say how much I tipped, just that we tipped into two pools as asked by the resort. How much is totally up to us, not the resort. However, if we decided to tip 50%, that's also up to us. If we bring that tipping percentage to Bali, tough cookies.

Rob

 

[charlier]

Last year, a customer gave a wonderful tip of $50,000IRD. I asked about their generous tip of $3.35. They told me that life was so simple for Indonesians - catching fish, living in small huts, etc. The cost of a new scooter or boat engine was not that different in Indonesia than in the USA, so perhaps life is not that simple in remote Indonesia.

 

[Tribal]

Last year, a customer gave a wonderful tip of $50,000IRD. I asked about their generous tip of $3.35.

So you ask customers why they tip so low? That would be conciderd very rude in Europe. A tip is something you can give if you want to, it isn’t something you have to do.

I mostly tip generous compared to western europe habbits, but if i feel like i’m Obligated to do so i wouldn’t do it.